Lies of Blood
by me-CANINEtheCAT
Summary: For years and years he'd lived with horrible lies and dark secrets. So what can he to do when the past comes back to haunt him. It's not like he ever could say no to the man he'd once called Nii-sama. Not to the man that ruined his life. Not to Byakuran. Dark Themes. AU
1. Chapter 1

Tsuna chuckled as he stepped into his house and slipped off his shoes. Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto were forever engaged in a one-sided argument. It used to bother him**,** but now he realized it was just part of Gokudera's nature. It had nothing to do with deep rooted hate or anger.

Besides, the regular arguing made today feel more normal. He'd woken up with a bad feeling in his stomach and, though he tried to ignore, it wouldn't go away. He hoped and prayed it wasn't his hyper intuition. Maybe he'd just eaten something spoiled. But of course, that was impossible, since he only ate what his mother made him, and she would never make something bad.

"Kaa-san," the brunet called out, searching for his mother. He moved towards the kitchen**,** where he heard movement. It made sense that his mother would be in there. It seemed like she was always cooking.

He did not, however, expect the bowls, trays, piles and slabs of food that seemed to cover every flat surface in the room. His mother was humming along to some love song so old it was no longer played on the radio. She stood mixing some sort of batter for even more food.

"Welcome home, Tsu-kun!" she greeted him, not seeming to realize she was doing something unusual.

"What's all this for? Is Dad coming home again?" he questioned, recalling the last time his father had come home and his mother had made a similar feast. As the Decimo considered it, he felt more and more certain that was the cause of all this extravagance.

"Nope," the brunette's mother replied, stumping him. His brow furrowed in thought, as he tried to think of another suitable excuse. He failed, and only managed to get the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach squirming.

"Then… why?" he asked, slightly worried.

"Because**,** Tsu-kun! The most wonderful thing has happened!" At her words the squirming stopped. Suddenly it felt like a huge rock had been dropped in his stomach.

"Oh yeah?" he prompted, though he had a sneaking suspicion he already knew what was so great for his mother and so bad for him. A slow kind of suffocating panic was beginning to spread.

"Your big brother is coming home!" The fact that he'd been expecting it didn't lighten the blow. It still felt like he'd been hit by a truck, unable to jump out of the way fast enough. "Aren't you so excited?" she asked him, finally turning around to see his reaction to their conversation.

"O-of course," he muttered, forcing his face into a fake smile. "I'm overjoyed. I just can't believe it."

His mother giggled, not seeming to notice her younger son going to pieces behind her. "Well**,** it's true!" she exclaimed gleefully. "He'll be here sometime this weekend!" Suddenly her eyes seemed to go misty as she reminisced. "When I first had Bya-kun I never expected to have a large family. But now look at us! With you, and Lambo, Ipin, and Fuuta this house is always so full." She paused to giggle again. "In fact, it's so full we've run out of rooms. You and your brother will have to share again, just like old times. Isn't that great!" she exclaimed, spinning around again to view her youngest son.

She blinked in confusion as she realized Tsuna was no longer there. In fact, he had left a long time ago. The spatula she'd been holding had been raised up in excitement, but now it dropped to her side. A sad smile took control of her features.

"Tsu-kun," she whispered to the air. "I know you two didn't get along that great, but please… give it a chance.**"**

Upstairs in his room Tsuna**,** sat with his head between his knees, hyperventilating in panic. Byakuran would be there, at the latest by Sunday. That gave him less than four days to prepare himself.

He'd known this day would come. He and Reborn had discussed it, and he had been assigned a mission from the Ninth. He was to act as if nothing had changed since he had last seen his older brother, as if he was still the same old Dame-Tsuna*, that had no choice but to do everything his nii-sama said.

The Ninth's theory was that if Tsuna made his brother feel like he had power and was still the favorite of the family**,** then he wouldn't resort to any more extreme methods of gaining power. Tsuna would be able to prevent the scuffle with the Millefiore in the future and in that way protect his family better than anyone else could.

However, in order to do that**,** it would mean going back to the hell that used to be his life. The day his father realized that something was amiss with his step son and 'recommended' he attend a faraway boarding school had been the happiest day in his miserable life. Once he was gone**,** Tsuna had been elated that he could live the normal life of a teenager with no secrets.

When Reborn came, he had been even happier. He had made friends and learned to defend himself. Thoughhe was no longer normal and he'd resumed keeping secrets, he was happier than he'd ever remembered being. He'd never imagined he'd returned to his old life, andyet, there he was**,** preparing himself for Byakuran's arrival.

No, he corrected himself. Byakuran-_sama_'s arrival.

Reborn suddenly appeared out of nowhere, eyeing his student with something akin to disgust.

"Pull yourself together. You agreed to this."

"It's for the family," Tsuna replied. "I'm doing this for my friends." He tried to convince himself that it was worth it. He would save so much pain if he could change the future completely. He could do this. After all, it's not like it could be much worse than what he used to live through. And how long would Byakuran stay anyway? Probably not very long.

Tsuna tried to calm himself down with statements like these, and slowly but surely his breathing began to even out and his heart rate slowed.

"Are you sure you don't want to tell them?" Reborn asked yet again.

Tsuna looked up sharply, his eyes piercing into Reborn's. He'd been asked this again and again. Reborn continually tried to convince him to confide in his family. But he wouldn't force him, because this was something that truly needed to be Tsuna's decision.

"Of course I'm sure," he hissed, repeating what he'd told Reborn in when they were trapped ten years in the future . "I'd rather die than admit I'm related to that monster." And it was the truth, because that was what Tsuna viewed that man as. He was a cold blooded, heartless monster. And Tsuna had the misfortune of being his half**-**brother.

* * *

*Dame-Tsuna~ Tsuna's nickname. It means No-good Tsuna.

Okay, so, new project here.

So a couple things I want to say:

1. Let's have a big round of applause for my awesome beta reader: Mari Ferolla!

by my close personal friend:XxSecretStoriesxX

So this is... going to be a sad-ish story, where I'm going to try my damn best not to make anyone ooc, but who knows?

Also this'll be updated weekly hopefully.

Last thing: Of course I enjoy reading reviews just like any other author.


	2. Chapter 2

Review Response Wall:

**XxSecretStoriesxX:** Thx for pointing out the whole bit about the genre! I fixed that as soon as you mentioned it naturally! I hope you find the rest of the story as good as the beginning, (as if you don't already know!). **Pocky sticks: **Glad the story intrigues you! My sincere apologies about the late update. ** mayra-the-fox:**Thanks for the compliment! To be honest I feel bad for Tsuna too! Sometimes when I reread parts this story I'm like 'The hell! Who's doing this to Tsuna! Imma kill them!' Then I remember I did it! Lol, *facepalms* Anyway... Please enjoy this new chapter! **totalamuto:**Ummmm... I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult, but honestly... YOUR REVIEW WAS MY FAVORITE! I've totally responded like that to some stories. There's just no words sometimes. You have no idea how it makes me feel to get a review like yours, even if you meant it as an insult or 'this story is so weird I can't even form an opinion on it other that the fact that it's bizarre' woah. / **Gimme MORE: **Ummm, I don't think this chapter was longer than the last one, but I hope this update was fast enough for you! **Blank: **HAHA! Fast! Sorry. I hope this satisfies you!** iLoli:**Ahahah! The drama hasn't even started yet! Please enjoy this humble beginning to the angst filled telling of Sawada Tsunayohsi's true life and being! xD** Dayublade:**Well, no more waiting for you! The next installment of 'Lies of Blood' has arrived!

Ahh, I've always wanted to do a review wall! Thank you guys for reviewing so many times I was actually able to do one!

Also thanks to:**Vanixille, XxSecretStoriesxX, mayra-the-fox, Allimassy, kirika o7, totalamuto, Kirino Tsuki, Fire-tan - Element Star, lolllilolli123, Milky Etoile, iLoli, Animekrazy101, Sapphire09,giotto08, and Vampyres 'R Me **for fav-ing/ putting on alert!

Also, let's not forget to thank my lovely beta-reader: Mari Ferolla!

* * *

Tsuna walked with Gokudera on his right and Yamamoto on his left. It was Saturday, meaning Byakuran would be there by tomorrow at the latest.

Tsuna gratefully accepted when Yamamoto had asked him and Gokudera if they wanted to go over to his place for sushi, wanting to make the most of his last free, normal days. He was already regretting it. Both Yamamoto and Gokudera had perceived something was off about Tsuna the moment they had laid eyes on him.

"Juudaime! What's wrong?" Gokudera had asked alarmed upon seeing Tsuna's depressed expression.

"N-nothing! Why would you think something's wrong?" Tsuna tried to deny.

"Because**,** Tsuna, you look kind of down." Yamamoto took Gokudera's side.

"Ah..**.** I'm fine, I'm just a bit tired." Neither of his guardians seemed to buy his excuse, though they questioned him no more. They continued to watch him with worried eyes through the rest of the evening**,** however.

Tsuna did his best to participate in the conversation, but he couldn't seem to muster up the mood necessary to speak about trivial things like math tests and upcoming festivals. Without him keeping the discussion light, the night mostly consisted of Gokudera shouting at Yamamoto and Yamamoto laughing his insults off.

It was a lot like any other day, and Tsuna felt more at peace listening to the regular banter of his guardians than he had since his mother had informed him his brother was coming home. He was almost able to pretend that nothing was going to change, and his everyday life of the next tenth mafia boss would continue.

Almost.

Reborn's sudden appearance at their get-together reminded him otherwise.

"Tsuna, I need to talk to you," he said almost the instant he materialized. Tsuna paled in response**,** but immediately stood and excused himself, following Reborn out the door.

Gokudera and Yamamoto eyed each other with silent alarm. Reborn had _never_ asked to tell Tsuna something in private. He normally just blurted out whatever he wanted to tell the Decimo in front of whoever was present, regardless of how private or embarra**s**sing in was.

"What do you make of it?" Yamamoto asked Gokudera, in one his rare moments of seriousness.

"Something's wrong with the Tenth and he's not telling us." Gokudera responded, a hurt look in his eyes. Yamamoto thought he understood Gokudera's pain. As the Tenth'sright-hand man**,** he hoped to be trusted enough for Tsuna to confide everything in him.

"I'm sure he wants to tell us, he just can't." Yamamoto made an attempt at comforting the silver haired boy, but received no response.

Tsuna didn't ask what Reborn wanted;he already knew, but he followed anyway, so Reborn could tell him the details.

"He's back." The world's best hit man reported. "He was at your house when I left." Tsuna nodded slowly, processing the information.

"Bianchi and the kids?" he inquired.

"They're out of the house. Maman thinks Bianchi left to take care of Gokudera and the kids had to temporarily visit with their real parents."

"She just bought it?" Tsuna asked**,** slightly pained. Though his mother's naivety came in handy**,** it was hard watching how easily she could be deceived.

"She was upset she had to part with everyone so suddenly, but she claimed to understand the importance of visiting and taking care of one's family."

Tsuna smiled slightly at that. It sounded just like her.

"You better get home soon," Reborn shot him a meaningful look. "Are you sure you-"

"Yes**,** Reborn. I'm sure. I'm sure it was best for Bianchi and them to move out. I'm sure I want to do this. And I'm _definitely_sure I don't want to tell them," the tenth cut the arcobaleno off, a steely look in his eye.

"There's no backing out now," was all Reborn said before disappearing into the shadows. Tsuna sighed. Reborn had done his very best to make Tsuna reconsider his decision without directly saying he thought it was a bad idea. But, just this once, Tsunayoshi was going to have to disagree with his tutor.

He turned to reenter the sushi place, plastering a casual look on his face as he went.

Gokudera and Yamamoto didn't question him. They continued the evening as if they hadn't realized something was wrong and**,** when it started getting late**,** they both offered to walk their boss home. Tsuna hesitantly accepted. It would be fine as long as he didn't invite them inside right? They'd never see Nii-sama and**,** even if Byakuran saw them**,** it wouldn't make the situation any worse. After all, things were already as bad as it got, so why not enjoy the pure company of his friends one last time?

So he smiled and said sure and thank you. The walk towards his house was eerily quiet. He hadn't thought it was possible for Gokudera and Yamamoto to go **on**for so long without bickering, but they had proved him wrong. Not a single word was spoken.

Eventually it got to the point in which Tsuna, even in his distracted state, couldn't stand it anymore.

"Ahaha," he laughed awkwardly. "What's with you guys? You're acting like someone died!" He regretted his words the moment they left his mouth.

Gokudera didn't answer. "It's nothing… It's just that Gokudera doesn't think you trust us," Yamamoto replied. Tsuna's eyes widened as he listened to his Rain Guardianspeak. He had expected the two to brush off his question with a laugh, or at least lie. He hadn't expected this.

"That's not true! I trust you two with my life!" He felt like he was lying. True, he did trust them with his life, so why didn't he tell them the dark haunting secret he had kept from them? Suddenly Gokudera jumped and shoved the baseball-player to the side.

"Idiot! It's the Tenth's business what he wants to tell us! Some things are not meant for us lowly members of the Vongola!" he shouted.

"Ah! Gokudera-kun! That's not true! I… I wouldn't have Reborn hide anything from you!" The Vongola Decimo lied blatantly. "He was just telling me a message from my Dad, about family stuff. I have no idea why he asked me out of the room." He was alarmed at how easy the lie came out. He tried to shrug it off, knowing that he was going to be doing a lot of lying, but he couldn't quite dispel the guilty feeling.

Especially not when Gokudera's eyes sparkled with tears of joy and he was gleefully shouting apologies such as, "I'm sorry Juudaime, I will never doubt you again!" then, "Not that I ever doubted you!" and then, "Not that it's any of my business what you do!" and even then, "Even though I am your right hand man, so I should be somewhat involved!" He continued on and on cancelling out his statements as he went. Yamamoto merely grinned, relieved as he saw the two acting like themselves again.

The two would have believed him. They would have never guessed that their kind and innocent boss was not only keeping something from them**,** but lying to them while he was at it. But**,** unfortunately**,** they did notice.

Yamamoto was first. Gokudera was so busy shouting to Tsuna that he, despite being Tsuna's right hand man, didn't immediately notice his beloved boss's eyes widen. Then the brunet's pupils dilated, only to contract to tiny pinpricks the next instant. Yamamoto's grin disappeared.

Something was _definitely __**not **__**right**__._

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Ahem. If some of you are wondering why I didn't update when I said I would, please note it wasn't my fault. I was actually ready to update it a full two days before I'd originally intended, but when I went to add this chapter Fanfiction wouldn't let me edit my story AT ALL! So today was the first day I was able to post this. My sincerest apologies.

Any complaints, comments, concerns, criticism (Alliteration .) praise etc. will be gladly accepted in a review. Hell, I'll even take flames.


	3. Chapter 3

Review Response Wall:

**XxSecretStoriesxX :**Thanks for understanding. And I think you know very well just how long it'll take for you to see the full story line! Thx for the review. **Of Chocolates and Sweets :**Soo? Was this fast enough for you? I think I might've skimped a bit on the drama for this one, but I still hope you find it satisfactory. xD I don't want to spoil anything though, so I end this here! **mayra-the-fox** :. Don't hate me! I'm sorry I did this to Tsuna! But you have to admit it makes for interesting reading when you're favorite character has his life ruined... And as for whether he'll tell them... Read to find out! **Animekrazy101:**Well you shall be tense no longer! The next installment of the Lies of Blood series is here! ;) Let's get Byakuran out here!**sakura19971324:**All I can say is read to find out! **kirika o7 : **Glad you think so! Hopefully this chapter will be just as awesome.** TotalAmuto** : Yay for your awesome reviews! Seriously! You can ask my friends, I squealed when I read your review. I hope the fact that you reviewed a second time means you like this story! Thanks a million! Enjoy this chapter. **O-O: **I wouldn't necessarily say this story has total pwn but I totally appreciate your review! Hopefully this chapter pwns the last one!

Thanks to:XxSecretStoriessxX, catunacaty, sakura19971324, and TakeshiYamamoto2980 for Fav-ing/putting on alert.

And as always, great thanks to Mari Ferolla!

* * *

"Tsuna, are you okay?" Yamamoto asked, uncharacteristically worried . Suddenly Gokudera cut himself off. He closely examined his boss's face, and was alarmed at the pure terror he found there.

"Juudaime, what's-"Gokudera began.

"Shut up," Tsuna cut him off. Both of his guardians' eyes widened in alarm. Their boss had _never_ told _anyone_to shut up, much less them. They were ripped out of their thoughts when Tsuna's eyes suddenly made contact with each of them in turn, his caramel eyes piercing into their souls. "Listen very carefully. You must do exactly what I say," he commanded, acting like a boss for the first time. "Something very odd is going to happen in the next few seconds. You're going to want to comment or ask questions. Don't. Gokudera-kun, you're going to want to call him a bastard, cuss, glare, and blow him up. Don't.

"You're both to treat him with the utmost respect and politeness. If you can't do that**,** then don't open your mouths. Don't even let him guess that you've ever met him before either, or think that you're rough people. One last thing," Tsuna's voice grew hurried and frantic as he spoke, "Gokudera-kun you _cannot,_under any circumstances call me Tenth. If you can't call me Tsuna and sound natural then don't try and use my name at all. Both of you just act totally natural. Do you understand?"

The two boys just stared at him blankly, totally confused as to what their boss was talking about. As Gokudera slowly took in his boss's words**,** he found himself wanting to protest. But as he looked into Tsuna's piercing eyes**,** he realized his boss wasn't asking him nicely like he usually did. This was his first ever order.

"H-hai," he said slowly, still unwilling to submit.

"Sure**,** Tsuna," Yamamoto responded, the doubt in his voice evident.

Tsuna sighed, whether in relief**,** or sadness**,** or some other emotion**,** wasn't known to his guardians or even **to (**him**)** himself. "Thanks guys," he whispered.

He suddenly grinned and turned away from them, walking forward. "So have you guys finished the math homework?"

The question, despite being something that would normally come out of Tsuna's mouth, was so out of place in this situation the two guardians both found themselves unable to answer. They were still frozen on the spot where Tsuna had left them standing.

Tsuna paused a few meters away and turned to look back to them. "What's wrong**,** guys?" There was a smile on his face but his eyes were flashing a warning. They weren't acting natural.

Yamamoto seemed to realize this first. "Ah, nothing**,** Tsuna," he called, grinning. He jogged a couple steps to catch up to his friend. "No, I haven't done it yet. Maybe Gokudera could help me?" he asked, turning to face the still frozen bomber. His eyes also flashed. Something about seeing the warning in Yamamoto's eyes made the situation real for Gokudera. He sprinted toward the line as well.

"No way I'd ever help you!" He shouted. "Though if you need any help I would be glad to be of assistance," he told Tsuna.

"Thanks**,** Gokudera-kun, but I've already finished my homework." He smiled at his guardian. His statement surprised his friends. Tsuna almost never did his homework without Gokudera's help.

"Oh, did Reborn-san help you?" Gokudera questioned, his eyes never leaving Tsuna's face. Tsuna's eyes widened in alarm as soon as Reborn's name left Gokudera's mouth, but he never got a chance to answer, because at that moment they were interrupted by a "Yo! Tsunayoshi!"

Gokudera and Yamamoto had both failed to notice the man approach, as focused as they'd been on Tsuna. Yet, suddenly**,** he was there, standing in front of them, in all his white-haired glory.

Tsuna mentally breathed a sigh of relief as he heard his brother address him as Tsunayoshi, instead of Tsunayoshi-kun, Tsu-kun, or some other name. It meant he would get away with just calling him Byakuran for now.

The brunette smiled at his white haired brother. "Byakuran!" he exclaimed.

"What are you doing out so late? Shouldn't you be home safe with Mom?" Byakuran's violet eyes flashed**,** but his smile stayed the same.

Tsuna laughed nervously. "Sh-shouldn't I be asking you the same thing?" He laughed nervously, knowing he was going to regret saying that. He tried to fix it**.** "I was just out with my friends, Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto." He waved to the shocked boys beside him.

"So I noticed." Byakuran examined the shell shocked Gokudera and Yamamoto before returning his attention to his little brother. "Did I hear you three speaking of someone named Reborn? That sounds like such an odd name."

Gokudera almost called him a bastard and told him to mind his own business when he remembered his orders and bit his tongue.

"Yes, Reborn used to be my home tutor, but he's no longer with us." Yamamoto and Gokudera immediately started, thinking Tsuna was saying that Reborn had died.

"Reborn-san…?" Gokudera started asking, his voice shaking.

"Went back to Italy," Tsuna finished for him smiling.

"O-oh…"

"Anyway**,** Tsunayoshi, why don't I walk you home? I'm headed the same way." Byakuran chuckled, at his own little joke, that only he and Tsuna understood.

"Thanks, but I wasn't going straight home," Tsuna replied, laughing awkwardly.

"Well, in that case, see you soon." The look in Byakuran's eyes changed, and his smile became way more frightening than it was ever friendly. The look sent shudders down the guardians' spines, but Tsuna just smiled and said, "See you!"

Byakuran turned and walked off, his hands in his jean pockets. Tsuna stood watching him, still smiling. When Byakuran turned the corner**,** Gokudera, relieved of his promise, turned on his boss. "What the hell-"

The Vongola Tenth shook his head frantically. "Not here. Let's go to your house," he whispered, still grinning.

Gokudera's eyes widened, but he promptly agreed. He led the two to his apartment, setting a fast pace. They didn't stop or speak until they were inside his living room which consisted of a small couch in the middle of the room facing a proportionally small Tv that sat on the carpeted ground.. The two guardians' faces were grim, but Tsuna eerily continued to smile.

He walked over to the small couch and slowly sank into it. The Rain and Storm watched silently and every part of their friend's body began shaking, whether from terror**,** or shock**,** or something else, it was unknown.

The guardians glanced at each other in horror; they'd never seen their boss act that way.

"T-tsuna…" Yamamoto began hesitantly, "What's going on?" Suddenly the shaking ceased and Tsuna looked up, a blank look on his face.

"Nothing…" he started, but knew it wasn't going to be enough, so he continued. "Byakuran… is here in Japan. But…" he paused working up the courage to say continue, "He's not the same man we met in the future!" He shouted, looking at the teenagers earnestly. Well, he looked earnest to them anyway, Tsuna knew what he was saying was a big fat lie.

_But it'll be the truth soon…_He told himself, _As long as they don't find out yet!_So he worked up the courage to continue speaking**.**

"Byakuran hasn't done anything wrong yet! So please, we can't treat him as if he's the same person we met in the future. Please, you guys?" He begged.

"Tsuna, this is the same man that killed my father. Remember what he did to us?" Yamamoto reminded his friend coldly.

"I know," he sighed, "_I know._Believe me _I know._I'm not asking you to be his best friend, or even talk to him**,** really. Just please be polite, and if you can't do that, then just excuse yourself or something. But you can't let him think you already know or dislike him!"

The teenagers sat in a tense silence, before Gokudera broke in.

"Juudaime," he began, already forgetting his promise, "Where is Reborn-san?"

Tsuna looked at his right hand, surprised at the question. "He's at Yamamoto's. And that reminds me, Yamamoto, can he stay with you for a while?" He looked to his Rain.

"S-sure**,** Tsuna, but why?"

"No particular reason," He smiled. "And Gokudera, can Bianchi and the kids stay here for a while?"

"Of course, Juudaime," he responded solemnly, no longer even bothering to question the strange orders and behavior.

"Thanks you guys. One last thing**.** From now on, I don't want you guys to mention the kids, Reborn, Bianchi, or anyone and anything to do with the mafia**,** outside. Gokudera-kun, no more dynamite**,** please, and you really will have to stop calling me Tenth. Also, wear your Vongola rings around your necks, so no one can see them."

"What's going on Tsuna?"

"Nothing. If you guys really do what I say, then I promise, things will go back to normal in no time. I promise." Then he smiled as naturally as ever and left the apartment.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay... I'm still alive. Here you go. No review responses because I feel bad making you wait this long and decided to post it w/o wasting anymore time.

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Tsuna walked home alone, his brow furrowed in concentration, wondering if his guardians would really listen to his orders. It was too late to stop them worrying, but there was nothing he could do about that now. His main priority was to keep Byakuran feeling like he was in control, and so far he wasn't doing a good job at it.

He paused in front of the door, taking a deep breath, smiling slightly. He shoved open the door and stepped into his own personal hell.

"Bya-kun!" He grinned, "I've missed you."

"Tsu-chan, same here."

And so the act began.

That night was probably one of the worst, just because it was so fresh. Tsuna sat silently, enduring the blows to his chest, sides, legs, anywhere that wouldn't be easily visible. He didn't cry out, he didn't even let pain show in his expression.

He sat and apologized for everything. For being rude, stupid, uncareful, for getting Byakuran sent away, for being happy without him. He apolozied for being born.

With every blow he watched his older brother's face. The sickening smile, spiky white hair, the tattoo that Tsuna knew was meant to represent each of the spikes he wanted to drive into the hearts of his family. One for his naïve mother, one for his arrogant step father, and one for his unwanted half brother.

The face made him want to vomit, but instead he smiled and said, "Forgive me, nii-sama."

"Just this once."

And with that Tsuna crawled in his bed and tried his best to fall asleep without having nightmares.

Gokudera and Yamamoto walked silently together toward their friends house, just like they always did. But today wasn't a normal day, they both knew. It was their first time seeing their friend after the bizarre incident with Byakuran.

They stepped up and rang the door bell. To their expectation Nana answered.

"Good morning. Is Tsuna almost ready?"

"Hm? Tsu-kun already left." She sounded surprised.

"What? By himself?" Gokudera asked alarmed.

Nana giggled, "Of course not! Bya-kun walked him… just like old times… she mumbled to herself as she watched the two boys sprint down the street.

They arrived at school breathlessly, and burst into their classroom with an air of expectation. To their dismay their boss was not present.

"We have to go find him!" Gokudera stated immediately.

"Wait," Yamamoto objected, slightly more logical. "Tsuna wanted us to trust him right? Let's wait until the bell rings. If he's not here by then, we'll go look for him."

"But he's with-"

"Remember what he told us yesterday." Yamamoto commanded. Gokudera rubbed his eyes tiredly. He hadn't gotten nearly any sleep yesterday, what with Tsuna's strange behavior and the ruckus the kids had caused.

"F-fine, but if Juu- Ts- _he _ends up hurt, I'll kill you." Gokudera said glaring.

The two boys took their seats, but as the start of homeroom grew nearer and nearer Gokudera found sitting impossible. He jumped up and started pacing. Yamamoto did his best to mask his worry with a light smile, but in reality his inside was tense. _What are you doing Tsuna. _

He was so immersed in his worry he nearly forgot to try and calm Gokudera down when he started yelling at the teacher after she asked him to stop pacing and sit down.

"Gokudera, I'm sure he's fine," Yamamoto smiled.

"How can you say that! When he's with the same bastard that did _that _to your father?" Gokudera lashed.

"I know but Tsuna said-"The black haired teen attempted to retaliate.

"I don't care! I don't believe him! Haven't you seen the way he's been acting? It's not normal! Something's wrong with him and I'm not gonna wait until it's too late to find out what!" He shouted, not caring about the listening ears of their classmates.

"Gokudera-kun… doesn't trust me anymore?" A quiet voice asked.

Both guardians' heads snapped up, realizing too late that Tsuna was standing in the doorway. His head was tilted down, and there was a depressed slouch to his body that made Gokudera regret with a passion every word he just said. He couldn't see his boss's face because of the wild mop of brunette hair, but something told him that his boss was on the verge of tears.

Tsuna didn't know what was wrong with him. In all honesty, Gokudera was right to think that way, but it still hurt to hear it.

Gokudera opened his mouth to apologize but never got the chance, because the next instant the bell rang and Tsuna scurried hurriedly to his seat. Gokudera was so dazed he complied without protesting when the sensei asked him to take a seat.

The classroom atmosphere was awkward. Mostly because Gokudera was for once sitting quietly and properly in his chair; Yamamoto wasn't smiling, sleeping or both, and Tsuna had a disturbingly blank stare plastered on his face. The teacher was so flustered at being for once allowed to teach, she didn't manage to teach anything at all.

Finally the bell rang and the class was free to flee from the room, leaving the three boys alone in a matter of seconds. No one wanted to be in the same room as Gokudera at that moment.

The first to move was Tsuna. He shoved himself up. He smiled at the two when they looked over to him.

"I'm going to go eat lunch then."

"Ah, Tsuna, don't you want to eat lunch together? My pops made me a lot of sushi. We can share!" Yamamoto suggested with a half hearted grin.

"Thanks for the offer, but I already promised someone else I'd eat with them." He left with a friendly smile and Yamamoto, and attempted to smile at Gokudera, but the storm never looked up from his desk.

Tsuna stopped eating with them after that fateful day.

* * *

If any of you are wondering what happened to me: All I can say is I totally forgot about this story for a while. I'm back to updating once a week. Since this chapter is so short, and the it's been so long... I'll update 2 today. Sorry again!


	5. Chapter 5

It wasn't long before everyone noticed what was happening.

One day**,** as Ryohei was jogging to school**,** he noticed Tsuna walking alone. He eagerly tried to convince –ahemforceahem- Tsuna to join the boxing club, just like any other day. He was surprised to find that**,** instead of a frantic refusal**,** Tsuna just muttered something like, "Maybe some other time," and turned onto another street to avoid the boxer.

Once Kyoko tried saying hello to Tsuna in the hall. He glanced up at her, but his eyes seemed to stare through her, like she was invisible. In the end**,** he just walked past his once-crush without saying anything.

Hibari had noticed that not only had the herbivores calmed down, they had stopped causing trouble together. There was no more tardiness, shouting, destruction of school property, or herbivores eating lunch on his favorite napping spot. Yet, as he watched the numb and depressed herbivore leader from the window of the reception room, he found himself wondering if that was a good thing.

Even Chrome, who didn't even go their school**,** realized that something was wrong with the boss. He hadstopped coming to give them free food, and once, when they ran across each other in a convenience store**,** he made no move to acknowledge her, though she knew he had seen her.

Then there were the things everyone could notice. His gravity defying locks started drooping. Though they still didn't lay perfectly flat on his head, they covered his eyes most of the time. If anyone did catch a glimpse of the normally clear amber eyes**,** they found they were a dull brown, so disturbing**that** they were forced to look away. Perhaps the most disturbing of all was the fact that the brunette had stopped smiling altogether.

They all tried to get Tsuna to open up. Yamamoto and Kyoko tried especially hard. They tried their best to continue their normal relationship with the Decimo. They said hi and tried starting casual conversations. It was difficult**,** though, with Tsuna so unresponsive. He would usually use one syllable responses**,** if he could.

In fact, the only time they could ever get a somewhat energetic response from the boy was when they asked him what was wrong. His whole being would pick up, his eyes would lighten, and a small smile would find its way onto his face.

"Nothing's wrong! I'm just a bit tired, that's all. Don't worry about me!" He would say smiling.

His erratic behavior seemed to disturb Gokudera the most, but it seemed like the bomber did the least to help out. He sat quietly at his desk most of the time; he was so out of character that a few started worrying for the bomber himself. But he always replied energetically and harshly when he was spoken to, and there was a constant glint of determination in his eyes.

When Yamamoto asked him why he didn't do more**,** the bomber gritted his teeth and replied, "He doesn't want us to interfere. We were given direct orders. Besides," he sighed, "it's not like there's much I _could_do anyway."

Every day after school**,** Yamamoto would nag Reborn to tell him what was going on. At first he received no answer at all. Then eventually Reborn told him, "That's a question for your boss. Do you want me to tell you and break the Omerta*? I don't intend to betray the boss's orders." Yamamoto's eyes widened and he shut up almost immediately.

Then a thought occurred to him. "Wait… Tsuna isn't _actually_the boss yet."

Reborn stared at him piercingly. "Who said I was talking about Tsuna?"

After that Yamamoto stopped questioning Reborn about Tsuna, even though he was sure the baby could explain the whole situation.

So, without any further action to take, the Guardians spent weeks watching their beloved boss withdraw into himself.

This came to an end one day as they sat in class gathering their things one day after the final bell rang. Tsuna suddenly lost the blank look. His expression perked up from depression to just slightly bored. He moved hurriedly, carelessly shoving things into his bag. He jumped up and jogged to the door just in time to watch it open, revealing a tall and out of place Byakuran.

Gokudera and Yamamoto both tensed, fighting the urge to jump at the man as they remembered their promise to Tsuna. They watched in amazement as their boss's lips lifted into a grin.

"Yo, Tsunayoshi-kun, you ready?" Byakuran queried.

"Of course, Byakuran-sama." Byakuran reached down to ruffle Tsuna's hair, immediately causing Gokudera to spring out of his seat. Byakuran glanced up at the silver**-**haired teen and smirked. He nudged Tsuna out of the room, not breaking eye contact until he rounded the door himself. Gokudera didn't know it, but**,** because of his one action, Tsuna would suffer double that night.

Yamamoto and Gokudera's eyes met. They stared meaningfully at each other, the only two not involved in the mutters their remaining classmates. All around them girls were squealing about how hot that white haired guy was, and how the heck did Tsuna know him?

The two boys broke the gaze and left the classroom separately, an unspoken agreement in place. They had to speak to Reborn. They had questions and they weren't taking 'no' for an answer.

At nine o'clock**,** Gokudera found himself standing in front of Yamamoto's home. He sighed heavily before stepping forward to ring the bell. The door swung open immediately, revealing a stone**-**faced Yamamoto. Really**,** it was bizarre how often he saw a serious Yamamoto these days. He wordlessly stepped past the swordsman and slipped off his shoes.

Gokudera followed Yamamoto into a room, where they found Reborn polishing his Leon gun with a cloth.

"So you two have finally caught on, huh?" The hitman asked, without even turning around.

"Reborn-san, you have to tell us. What the hell has been going on with… with _him_and that _bastard?"_ Gokudera commanded, mindful of his promise to his boss.

"I'm unable to tell you. You need to find out yourselves."

"We can't, kid! Tsuna won't talk, and we're seriously worried about him. He's acting like he's not even Tsuna anymore." Yamamoto begged.

Reborn sighed thoughtfully. "I can't tell you anything. But!" He exclaimed when it looked like Gokudera was about to interrupt. "I might be able to get Tsuna to tell you. Meet at Tsuna's, Saturday at 2 pm. And don't think I'm doing this for you. I have to check something anyway. Oh, and Gokudera, bring the stupid cow's Ten-Year-Bazooka."

* * *

Again, review responses will _all _be in the next chapter. Sorry for making you wait so long. Next chapter will be up next week guaranteed.


	6. Chapter 6

Gokudera and Yamamoto met at the gate in front of Tsuna's house, Gokudera lugging the bazooka he had forcefully taken from a bawling Lambo over his shoulder. Reborn was sitting on the gate, waiting for them.

"Let's go then," he said, jumping down and leading the way. He shoved open the unlocked door and silently climbed the stairs leading to Tsuna's room. The house was eerily quiet, a sign that not even Maman was home.

Reborn opened the door to Tsuna's room without knocking, marching in with a loud, "OI! DAME-TSUNA!" The Guardians quickly followed, Yamamoto pulling the door shut behind him.

They both shuddered at the sight of their boss. He was lying on his stomach, his face buried in his pillow, probably barely allowing him to breathe. He was wearing long pant pajamas and a long sleeved turtle neck.

"Get up, Idiot. Are you trying to commit suicide by suffocating yourself?"Reborn kicked Tsuna's head, but the brunette didn't even flinch.

"No, but that would be nice," he mumbled, causing both of his guardians to freeze solid. "Do you think that people who commit suicide really go to hell? Hmm… though I doubt it could be much worse than here." Gokudera could not believe it. Juudaime, _his _Juudaime, the man that taught him the value of his own life, was so calmly contemplating suicide. Uncontrollable anger flared inside him.

"Of course they go to hell. Despicable scum that are such cowards they take their own lives to run away don't deserve heaven. But right now's not the time to joke around about suicide." Reborn finally rose sitting on his knees, his hands rubbing his eyes. "Mou, Reborn, you don't have to be so harsh. I was just asking." Tsuna twisted his waist, so he'd be facing the door, and removed his hands from his eyes.

He froze, realizing for the first time that Gokudera and Yamamoto were present.

"Oh…" he said awkwardly.

"Tsuna, tell us what's going on," Yamamoto commanded, not allowing more than a second of precious time to pass.

"What… What are you talking about, Takeshi?" A perfectly innocent and naïve smile came onto his face, his voice was perfect. But it wasn't enough. Everything from stutter, the question, the way he called him 'Takeshi'… it was just wrong. The most disturbing part was the way his cocked and smiling face brought up images of another man. A certain white haired man they all despised.

"Oh, Tsuna, I see you've been learning some new tricks, huh?" Reborn said with another kick to Tsuna's head.

"OW! Reborn! That's going to leave a bruise!"

"Drop the act and just tell them Dame-Tsuna."

Suddenly the playful and slightly normal aura Tsuna and Reborn had been emitting disappeared. It was replaced with a cold harshness, and a steely look came into Tsuna's eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said icily.

Reborn sighed, "Then I guess I have no choice." Suddenly the bazooka was in Reborn's hands and he shot, hitting Tsuna. They all coughed as they waited eagerly for the pink smoke to clear.

They were shocked when it did, however. Instead of a happy, normal Tsuna like they'd been hoping for, they found a man with a long thin pony tail, on his knees, his face buried in his hands, and completely drenched with what might be rain.

"Ju- Juudaime?" Gokudera questioned, a deep throbbing in his heart. Was he really that useless? That even ten years from now, he was unable to keep his boss happy and smiling?

The 26 year old boss looked up, surprise littering his expression.

"Am I… in the past?" He guessed immediately.

"Hmph, so you're a bit faster in the future huh?" Reborn asked maliciously.

"Reborn! So good to see you!" And a genuine, honest to goodness Tsuna-esque smile filled his face, much to the Guardians' pleasures " I forgot how cute you were when you were in your chibi form! You're such a devil these days that- Oops! I shouldn't reveal too much of the future should I?" He turned to the teenagers, "You guys are so young. So how's the family during these times?"

Then suddenly the dark looks returned the boys' faces. "Oh… ten years ago… was when I was on _that _mission, wasn't it?" He muttered, nodding to himself. He sighed, "Just hang in there with me, okay? I'm being such an idiot right now, and its hurting everyone a lot. But I promise, if you hang in with me, someday we'll be a happy famiglia again, just like old times."

"Really? If we're so happy then why did you appear here crying, and drenched like that?" Gokudera asked doubtfully, staring at the ground.

"Haya- no, Gokudera-kun, you just happened to catch me on a bad day. I only cry once a year, and today happens to be that day. It's really a great coincidence… or maybe not," he added shooting a sly look towards the Sun Arcobaleno.

"Why today?" Yamamoto questioned curiously.

To his surprise Tsuna sighed, and a sad, reminiscent look entered his eye. "Today… is the anniversary of the death of someone very important to me. I was visiting their grave, which is why I was kneeling in the rain."

"No… No way!" Gokudera shouted, finally looking up. "How.. no who-"

"Ah! Calm down Gokudera-kun! There's no need to be alarmed." Tsuna tried to comfort him frantically.

"How can there be nothing to be alarmed about!? Someone important to the Tenth is dead!"

The sad look returned. "Honestly, Gokudera-kun, there's no need to be upset. I'm actually the only one who cared about this person. In fact, if it weren't for me, all of you Guardians would probably throw an annual celebration party today. Yes Gokudera-kun, even you," he added at the disbelieving look in the boy's eyes. "Really I have no right to be sad. After all, I killed this person with my own two hands, and I'd do it again if I had to."

"So that means the mission failed?" Reborn interjected, not giving the boys a chance to respond to Tsuna's eerie statement.

"Yeah…" he said solemnly. "But it's really better off this way. I mean, it was impossible for that mission to succeed in the first place, plus I learned an important lesson from it."

"Why did it fail?" Reborn pressed.

"That's not-"

"_Why did it fail?"_Reborn commanded. They only had fifteen seconds left.

"Well, technically," he paused a moment to think, then his eyes widened in alarm, "It's because of today! Today is-"

_Poof!_

He vanished in a puff of pink smoke, leaving behind a sixteen year old and dripping wet Tsuna in his place.

The younger Tsuna stared off into space, drops of water running down his face. Be they from excess water from his hair, or tears, was unknown to even Tsuna. His mind was branded with the image of the gravestone he had spent all five of his minutes in the future staring at.

It read:

_RIP_

_Sawada Byakuran_

_Beloved Brother and Son_

"Reborn," he muttered quietly, "We failed."

"Then try harder." Gokudera and Yamamoto gawked at the hitman. Was he really encouraging Tsuna on this self destructive and doomed mission, that they didn't even know about until today?

Suddenly the noise of an opening door was heard, along with a, "Tsu-kun! We're home!"

Tsuna's eyes widened, "You guys need to get out of here," he hissed. "NO! Through the window!" He commanded, when Yamamoto took a step towards the closed door.

"Tsuna! We're on the second floor!" Yamamoto gawked at him.

"I know! I know! But we don't have a choice! Reborn'll turn Leon into a trampoline. Just go!"

He ushered them out the window, Gokudera stepping off the trampoline just in time for Byakuran to open the door.

At that moment, Tsuna knew he was screwed. He couldn't explain why he was dripping wet, and leaning out the window. He couldn't explain the TYL-bazooka that Gokudera had left behind. And to top it all off, he believed that Byakuran had seen Gokudera and Yamamoto running down the street.

As he met Byakuran's unforgiving gaze with a sheepish grin he knew it'd be a miracle if he survived the night.

* * *

Um... Ahem. Yes. It's been quite a long time. I found this chapter lurking amongst some old files and realized I'd never given it to you guys. I don't follow Reborn fanfiction closely anymore, which I think contributed to me forgetting.

I really have no excuse, but I hope you enjoy it.


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